April is Jazz Appreciation Month. One of the many cool things about the Smithsonian's monthlong celebration has been online. The creators of the LEGENDS OF JAZZ PBS series put together a one-hour web special, hosted by 2007 NEA Jazz Master Ramsey Lewis, that features conversations with and music by NEA jazz royalty - pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi, trombonist Curtis Fuller, singer Jimmy Scott, Basie-veteran Frank Wess, and saxophonist Phil Woods. Nancy Wilson, herself an NEA Jazz Master, talks with Ramsey Lewis about his own half-century career. Find it here.
-Josh

January 12, 2008. Posted by Joshua Jackson.

The NEA Jazz Master Awards evening is one of the main events at IAJE. This year, the concert featured the music of Quincy Jones, one of this year's honorees. NEA Jazz Master David Baker, an alumnus of the Quincy Jones Band back in the day, directed the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra for the duration. Set One included: